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<a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/18.04" class="trail">Ubuntu 18.04</a> » <a class="trail" href="../index.html" title="Ubuntu Server Guide">Ubuntu Server Guide</a> » <a class="trail" href="installation.html" title="Installation">Installation</a> » </div></div>
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<div class="links nextlinks">
<a class="nextlinks-prev" href="installation.html" title="Installation">Previous</a><a class="nextlinks-next" href="installing-live-server.html" title="Installing using the live server installer ">Next</a>
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<div class="hgroup"><h1 class="title">Preparing to Install</h1></div>
<div class="region">
<div class="contents"><p class="para">
      This section explains various aspects to consider before starting the
      installation. </p></div>
<div class="links sectionlinks" role="navigation"><ul>
<li class="links"><a class="xref" href="preparing-to-install.html#system-requirements" title="System Requirements">System Requirements</a></li>
<li class="links"><a class="xref" href="preparing-to-install.html#intro-server-differences" title="Server and Desktop Differences">Server and Desktop Differences</a></li>
<li class="links"><a class="xref" href="preparing-to-install.html#backing-up" title="Backing Up">Backing Up</a></li>
</ul></div>
<div class="sect2 sect" id="system-requirements"><div class="inner">
<div class="hgroup"><h2 class="title">System Requirements</h2></div>
<div class="region"><div class="contents">
<p class="para">
                          Ubuntu 18.04 LTS Server Edition supports four (4) major architectures: AMD64, ARM, POWER8, LinuxONE and z Systems (although this manual does not cover installation on LinuxONE or z Systems, see <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/S390X/InstallationGuide" class="ulink" title="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/S390X/InstallationGuide">the dedicated guide</a> for that).
                        </p>
<p class="para">
                          Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS introduces a new installer, the "live server" installer (sometimes called "Ubiquity for Servers" or simply "subiquity") which provides a more user friendly and faster installation experience. At the time of writing it only supports amd64 processors and does not support LVM or RAID or other more sophisticated storage options, nor does it support reusing existing partitions on the disks of the system you are installing. It also requires access to the Ubuntu archive, possibly via a proxy. The previous, debian-installer based, installer is still available if these restrictions mean you can't use the live server installer.
                        </p>
<p class="para">
                        The table below lists recommended hardware specifications. Depending on your needs, you might manage with less than this. However, most users risk being frustrated if they ignore these suggestions.</p>
<div class="table">
<div class="title"><h3><span class="title">Recommended Minimum Requirements</span></h3></div>
<table summary="Recommended Minimum Requirements" style="border: solid 1px;">
<thead>
<tr>
<th class="td-colsep" style="vertical-align: middle;" rowspan="2"><p class="para">Install Type</p></th>
<th class="td-colsep" style="vertical-align: middle;" rowspan="2"><p class="para">Install Method</p></th>
<th class="td-colsep" style="vertical-align: middle;" rowspan="2"><p class="para">CPU</p></th>
<th class="td-colsep" style="vertical-align: middle;" rowspan="2"><p class="para">RAM</p></th>
<th style="text-align: center;" colspan="2"><p class="para">Hard Drive Space</p></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th class="td-colsep"><p class="para">Base System</p></th>
<th><p class="para">All Tasks Installed</p></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="td-colsep" rowspan="2"><p class="para">Server (Standard)</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">debian-installer</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">1 gigahertz</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">512 megabytes</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">1.5 gigabyte</p></td>
<td><p class="para">2.5 gigabytes</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="shade">
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">live server</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">1 gigahertz (amd64 only)</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">1 gigabyte</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">1.5 gigabyte</p></td>
<td><p class="para">n/a</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">Server (Minimal)</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">debian-installer</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">300 megahertz</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">384 megabytes</p></td>
<td class="td-colsep"><p class="para">1.5 gigabytes</p></td>
<td><p class="para">2.5 gigabytes</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p class="para">
				The Server Edition provides a common base for all sorts of server applications. 
				It is a minimalist design providing a platform for the desired services, such 
	 			as file/print services, web hosting, email hosting, etc. 
				</p>
</div></div>
</div></div>
<div class="sect2 sect" id="intro-server-differences"><div class="inner">
<div class="hgroup"><h2 class="title">Server and Desktop Differences</h2></div>
<div class="region">
<div class="contents">
<p class="para">
    There are a few differences between the <span class="em emphasis">Ubuntu Server Edition</span> and the 
    <span class="em emphasis">Ubuntu Desktop Edition</span>.  It should be noted that both editions use the same 
    <span class="app application">apt</span> repositories, making it just as easy to install a <span class="em emphasis">server</span> 
    application on the Desktop Edition as it is on the Server Edition.
    </p>
<p class="para">
    The differences between the two editions are the lack of an X window environment in the Server Edition and 
    the installation process.
    </p>
<p class="para">
    </p>
</div>
<div class="sect3 sect" id="intro-kernel-diffs"><div class="inner">
<div class="hgroup"><h3 class="title">Kernel Differences:</h3></div>
<div class="region"><div class="contents">
<p class="para">Ubuntu version 10.10 and prior, actually had different kernels for the server and desktop editions.
      Ubuntu no longer has separate -server and -generic kernel flavors. These have been merged into
      a single -generic kernel flavor to help reduce the maintenance burden over the life of the release.
      </p>
<div class="note" title="Note"><div class="inner"><div class="region"><div class="contents">
	    <p class="para">
	    When running a 64-bit version of Ubuntu on 64-bit processors you are not limited by memory addressing space.
	    </p>
	  </div></div></div></div>
<p class="para">
	To see all kernel configuration options you can look through <span class="file filename">/boot/config-4.14.0-server</span>. 
	Also, <a href="http://www.kroah.com/lkn/" class="ulink" title="http://www.kroah.com/lkn/">Linux Kernel in a Nutshell</a> is a great resource on the options 
	available.
	</p>
</div></div>
</div></div>
</div>
</div></div>
<div class="sect2 sect" id="backing-up"><div class="inner">
<div class="hgroup"><h2 class="title">Backing Up</h2></div>
<div class="region"><div class="contents"><div class="list itemizedlist"><ul class="list itemizedlist"><li class="list itemizedlist">
        <p class="para">
	  Before installing <span class="app application">Ubuntu Server Edition</span> you should make sure all data on the system 
          is backed up. See <a class="xref" href="backups.html" title="Backups">Backups</a> for backup options.
	</p>
	<p class="para"> 
	  If this is not the first time an operating system has been installed on your
          computer, it is likely you will need to re-partition your disk to make room for Ubuntu. 
	</p>
	<p class="para"> 
	  Any time you partition your disk, you should be prepared to 
	  lose everything on the disk should you make a mistake or 
	  something goes wrong during partitioning.  The programs used in installation are 
	  quite reliable, most have seen years of use, but they 
	  also perform destructive actions.
        </p>
      </li></ul></div></div></div>
</div></div>
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